a public record, survey or map for tax purposes showing the ownership and
value of land

CADENCY

[Heraldry] royal license by a sovereign that allows the father to grant to
all the sons and their (normally) male issue the right to bear the same arms,
i.e., coats
of arms. Except for the eldest son, the arms are differentiated by marks
of cadency.

CADET

descended from a family line other than the eldest son

CÆSAR

Roman title originated the cognomen of the Julian family.
It came to signify the deputy augustus
(emperor) and heir apparent to the throne. Emperors commonly named their
sons, even as infants to this office. The office was considered
provisional, and the emperor could raise the cæsar to full regency at any
time. Upon the death of the emperor, the cæsar would still need to be
confirmed by vote of the Senate or the army for full acceptance.

[Welsh] a political and administrative division equivalent of the English Hundred

CAPIAS

[Latin] A legal writ, the most common of which is the the writ of
capias ad respondendum, ordering the sheriff to arrest a defendant in
a civil case for appearance in court to answer the plaintiff’s declaration.
The writ states the name of defendant, the court term when he was required to
appear; the name of the plaintiff, the form of action (in non-bailable cases
this was a fictitious trespass); and the names of the justice, clerk, and
plaintiff's attorney. The writ does not contain a statement of the plaintiffs
claim. The Alias
Capias is the second issuance of a capias after the original had gone
without answer.

an order of friars originally founded in Palestine. They emphasized
study and meditation, and are sometimes called Whitefriars for the color of
their habit.

CAROLINGIAN

[medieval] referring to the Frankish dynasty of European rulers beginning
with Pepin III (d.768) and ending with Louis IV Outrmer (d.954). Most notable
in this dynasty was Charlemagne (d.814) who ended up ruling most of Europe.
The Carolingians succeeded the Merovingians.

CARTHUSIAN

a late medieval order of clergy with an emphasis on learning,
contemplation and solitude

CARTULARY

a copy, often in abbreviated form by the monks of a monastery of those
documents that granted property to the institution. A cartulary is usually the
closest that can be gotten to the monastic charters, which, in England,
usually did not survive the Reformation.

CARUCATE

[Latin carucata plough] a measure of land which was could be tilled
with a team of eight oxen in one year, equivalent to a
hide. Also know as a ploughgate,
equaled 8 oxgangs
or bovates.
A uniform (clerks) carucuate appeared to be around 104 acres, but it could
range from 60 to 120 acres.

CASATUS

[Latin] landed proprietor

CASCADING PEDIGREE CHART

a series of pedigree
charts that span multiple generations for an individual and then for each
person in the last generation of the first chart.

a religious official in charge of the church's property, rent and revenue

CENEDL

[Welsh] kindred

CENSE

a tax or tribute

CENSITAIRE

one paying a fixed quit-rent

CENOTAPH

a tomb or monuument erected in memory of a person or group of persons,
whose remains are buried elsewhere. It can also be the initial marker
of someone who is then buried elsewhere.

CENSOR

a magistrate of
high rank in the ancient Rome. This position (called censura) was
responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, and
overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances. The censors'
regulation of public morality is the origin of the modern meaning of the words
"censor" and "censorship." This was a very senior
position usually relegated to someone only late in life who had fulfilled
consular duties.

CENSUS

periodic official tally of the population with details as to ages, sexes,
occupation, etc. U.S. Federal censuses have been taken every 10 years starting
in 1790

CENSUS INDEX

alphabetical listing of names enumerated in a census

CENTENUM

[Latin] 100

CEORL

[Anglo-Saxon, peasant] a peasant who was a free tenant

CERTIFIED COPY

a copy of a document attested as a true copy by an official who is
responsible for the document

CHAMBER

one of the departments of the royal household, and which managed his
household

originally part of the household, its responsibility was to issue
charters, writs, and letters of the king, as
well as to store and preserve those items. The head of the chancery was
the chancellor.

CHAPTER

(1) the daily meeting of a Benedictine monastery to read a Bible's chapter

(2) the body of clerics of a cathedral

CHAPTER HOUSE

the building where a cathedral's chapter met

CHARGES

[Heraldry] any figure on the shield, e.g., lions, birds, balls, etc.

CHARTER

a letter issued providing the donation of property, services or honors

CHARNEL HOUSE

a vault or house under or near a church where bones of the dead are kept

CHATTEL

personal property, both animate and inanimate. Slaves were considered to
be chattels

CHAUSSES

[French] chain mail hose worn by medieval knights from the 11th C.

CHECKY

[Heraldic] checkered

CHERISET

an offering, originally corn, at Martinmas

CHEVAGE

[Norman] the annual poll tax by a lord
on his workers for their right to live on his land and work his property.

CHEVALIER

[heraldry] a horseman armed at all points

CHEVAUCHEE

the feudal duty to accompany one's lord

CHEVRON

[heraldry, fr.Old French rafter] one of the primary
ordinaries on a shield, occupying
one-fifth of the field with two bars forming an up-pointing arrow. The Old
French derivation is fully descriptive of the shape.

CHEWITH

[Welsh left-handed, awkward]

CHIEF

[Heraldry] The upper third part of the shield. It is supposed to be
composed of the dexter,
sinister,
and middle chiefs.

CHILD OF TENDER YEARS

a child under 14 years of age

CHIRURGEON

a physician or surgeon trained through apprenticeship

CHIVALRY

the code of conduct for nobility during the middle ages

CHRISTENING

baptism of an infant

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS

a major Christian denomination founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith. The
denomination is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of the tenets
of the church is that a member is obligated to trace one's ancestor, so
consequently, the church has the foremost collection of genealogical
information in the world. Members are also called Mormons.

CHURCH WARDEN

The warden is an unpaid elected member of the vestry
whose function is to help the priest in any way he heeds during the warden's
term, usually one year. Now there are senior wardens and junior wardens, with
various responsibilities split. Wardens oversee repairs, organize functions
and do general over seeing of church needs through the help of the vestry.

CINQUEFOIL

[Heraldry] a five-leaved clover

CINQUE PORTS

five English boroughs on the Channel which had special privileges from the
time of Edward the Confessor, in return for providing ships in time of war

CIRCA

[Latin, about] usually used in conjunction with a date

CIRCESET

Amount due in crops or product by a household as ecclesiastical property

CIRCITER

about

CIRCUMFLEX

(Fr.) an accent mark (^) which shows the place mark of a missing letter,
such as impôt which was formerly impost. This mark should
not be confused for a diaeresis
which uses the same symbol, but denotes a chang in pronunciation, such as
vôtre versus votre.

CISTA

chest

CISTERCIANS

a reform order of Benedictine monks, sometime called the "white monks" or
"white friars"

CITATION

page or section reference of a source.

CIVIS

[Latin, citizen]

CIVITATE

[Latin of the City of .....]

CLAN

a Celtic social unit, especially in the Scottish Highlands,
consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor and following
the same hereditary leader

CLARISSIMUS

[Latin] the third of three ranks of the high officials of Imperial Roman
service, all of whom were senators. It was attached ex officio to the
governors of provinces and to other lesser posts, including a number of sub-altern
civil servants and those in retirement. The other two ranks were the illustres and the spectibiles.
{H}

CLOFF

[Welsh lame]

CLOTHIER

one who makes or sells clothing or cloth

COAT OF ARMS

shield with certain distinctive symbols or emblems painted on it in
definite fixed colors identifying one person and his direct descendants. See
also cadency,
chief,
colors,
metal,
fur

[Roman] the end Roman name (prænomen,
gentilicum, cognomen) indicating a
characteristic or honor to a person. If the individual was notable, the
cognomen might be passed to descendants, and eventually might constitute the
equivalent of what we consider a surname today. Example: In Gaius
Julius Cæsar, the famous dictator. The name cæsar
essential became a surname for his family, and it became a title as well..

a man and a woman living together in a marital status without legal
action. In some states living together a specified period of time constitutes
a legal marriage, even without benefit of legal action

COMMOTE

A secular division of land in Wales larger than a township and smaller
than a lordship.

COMMUTATION

the conversion of the value of labor services to monetary payment

COMPLINE

part of the monastic timetable for liturgy, called
horarium. This worship service
typically occurred between 6:15pm-6:30pm in winter and 8:15pm-8:30pm in summer

COMPONY

[Heraldric] divided into squares of alternate tinctures
in a single row; -- said of any bearing; or, in the case of a bearing having
curved lines, divided into patches of alternate colors following the curve. If
there are two rows it is called counter-compony. {W}

COMPOS MENTIS

[Latin, of sound mind]

COMPTOR

premier baron

CONFILIUS

[Latin, godson]

CONFIRMATIO

[Latin, confirmed]

CONIUNX

[Latin, married person, spouse]

CONJUGATUS

[Latin, married]

CONJUGATA

[Latin, wife]

CONJUGI

[Latin, husband, wife, spouse]

CONNUBIAL

[Latin connubium, marriage] pertaining to marriage

CONSANGUINITY

[Latin consanguineus] the relationship or connection of persons descended from a common
ancestor; a blood relationship See also "Degrees
of Consanguinity".

CONSCIENCE MARRIAGE

on the continent there was 'gewissensehe', or 'conscience marriage' where
a couple for the world maintained they were married, but 'the world knew
better' and children were regarded as bastards. And then there was the
'marriage with the left hand'. This was usually when a married ruler wanted to
make their mistresses respectable but children lived in a vague condition.
Their father usually gave them a title different, and lower, than their
legitimate children. See also contract
marriage.

CONSENT

papers file by a parent or guardian of a legally underage child providing
permission to marry or some other legal action

CONSIDERATION

exchange of items of value to legalize a transaction

CONSORT

technically a companion, but in most cases, was used as synonymous with
"wife" or "husband". Frequently seen on headstones, it denoted a spouse who
died first. For some royal couples, if
a woman was titled in her own right, such as a queen, and her husband had a
less important title, then the husband was referred to as her "consort".
The best example of this was Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria.

CONSTABLE

an English term for a policeman which was also used in the colonial
America. A constable was originally also a master of the horse and a high
officer of state under the later Roman emperors and among the Franks. In
addition to his regular police duties he was obliged to collect any taxes
levied by the General Assembly. All these duties made the job undesirable.
Penalties of heavy fines were imposed upon persons who chose not to accept the
post. Colonial records show, however, that many men paid fines rather than
serve as constable. The lord high constable of England was judge of the court
of chivalry
with the earl
marshal and had wide jurisdiction. The office of the High Constable,
though carrying with it what may be called the Commander-in-chief of the
army, was hereditary, being attached to certain manors. It was therefore held
successively by the Bohuns, Earls of Hereford and Essex, with their heirs, the
Staffords, and the Dukes of Buckingham. The office was forfeited by Edward
Stafford, 3rd duke of Buckingham in 1521, and is only revived temporarily for
coronations. The office of high constable in England was abolished in 1869,
and the duties of petty or parish constables now mainly fall to the police,
also known as constables.

CONSUL

[Latin] a Roman magistrate equivalent to a present-day prime minister or
president. The office was held for only one year to discourage
corruption, then rotated to another Roman nobles. Generally two were
appointed by the Comitia Centuriata for each term. The consuls served as
the chairmen of the Senate, commanded the armies, and were the ultimate
judicial authority. Under the empire, the office was prestigious, but
largely ceremonial, and during this period consuls were frequently appointed
for shorter terms, to offer the title to a wider group. Based on the
Lex Villia Annalis (181 BC) and Lex Cornelia Annalis (81 BC), a
consul had to be at least 42 years of age entering the office.

CONSUMPTION

tuberculosis. Got its names because there is a "wasting away' of flesh on
the body, hence the body seemed to be "consumed".

CONTRACT MARRIAGE

an agreement, usually reached by the parents of usually young prospective
spouses, and that the real marriage would take place later. The real marriage,
sometimes was simply that the couple went to live together and 'consummated'
their marriage. See also conscience
marriage and handfasting.

CONVERSO

[Spanish] a Muslim or Jewish individual forced to convert to Catholicism
during their persecution in Spain after 1391

"a Tenure for which the Tenant hath nothing to shew but the Copies of the
Rolles made by the Steward of his Lord's Court" (Termes de la Ley). Copholders
were originally villeins or slaves, permitted by the lord, as an act of grace
or favour, to enjoy the lands at his (the lord's) pleasure; being, in general,
bound to the performance of certain services. By the time of Edwad III, the
will of the lord came to be conrolled by the custom of the manor. Originally,
it was property held in exchange for service, although generally the service
was commuted in favour of a small annual payment. The copyholder held a
written title to his lands and a copy of his admission was kept on the
manorial Court Rolls. Copyholders were denied the protection of the king's
court--copyholders could only fall back on the lord's court, within the limits
of common law. The freehold mineral and timber rights remained with the lord
but he could not enjoy them if he disturbed the copyholder's occupation.
Property of a copyholder dying intestate
and without issue reverted to the lord
of the manor.

one of the oldest judicial officers in England, dating back to the 12th
century. The early function of the king's coroner, or "crowner", were much
wider than at present, the chief being to collect and guard certain revenues
of the king. He had to seek out criminals, extort confessions, and confiscate
their goods for the crown. He seized treasure-trove in the king's name and
took possession of wrecks, stranded whales, and royal sturgeons. He also tried
"appeals" or accusations of felony, and investigated deaths from violence, the
primary object being to find whether, as outlaw, felon or suicide, the
deceased person had left property seizable by the coroner. -- Renia Simmons

[Heraldic] two small stripes, usually bordering a larger stripe such as a
bend
or a fesse

COTTAR, COTTAGER

a peasant of the lowest class, having a cottage, but little or no land

COUNT

[Latin comitas] a noble rank. Counts were appointed dignitaries
who gradually became hereditary landholders. Counts
never outranked Dukes.
Dukes were Under-Kings and Magnates. The count was equivalent in rank of peerage
to the English earl
and the Scandinavian jarl.

COUNT PALATINE

Originally a Carolingian
title signifying the highest judicial officer of the royal court. This
official was appointed by the King rather than a hereditary magnate. In the
course of a couple of centuries, most of them were appointed from very
high-ranking families anyway, and either succeeded to the hereditary duchies
or died out. In Scotland, the Earls of March were the Dunbar family, whose
"March" stretched from near Edinburgh itself down to the actual English
border. By 1200, the only one left was the Count Palatine
(Pfalzgraf) of the Rhine, whose descendants, now the Dukes of and in Bavaria,
survive to this day. "Palatine" refers to extraordinary powers granted to a
noble. The English word "palatine" means a region under the authority of a
noble where the king's writ was suspended. Thus the Earl or Count of Chester
was in charge of the Welsh border, with powers of what we would nowadays call
"Rapid Response" to respond to raids from across the Welsh border, "Hot
Pursuit" which allowed the response to follow the raiders into their own
territory, and "Summary Jurisdiction" to hang the culprits as soon as they
were caught. While the noble owed allegience to the king (or Holy Roman
Emperor), the holder of a palatine had absolute authority, including the right
to grant titles of nobility, create knights, raise armies, coin money -- i.e.,
powers normally reserved to a sovereign. There were palatinates in British
history, in both England and in Ireland, and could be given to either lords
temporal or spiritual. There was even a case of a "bishop-palatine"; Louis
Epstein reports "the English Lords Bishop of Durham used to rule a 'county
palatine'". See also PALATINATE.

COURT

There were a variety of courts in medieval times:

(1) Admiralty Court -- begun in the 14th century, these courts had
jurisdiction over naval and maritime issues, but also heard disputes involving
foreign merchants in England

(2) Borough Court -- similar to the shire court, many boroughs had the own
courts

(3) County (Shire) Court -- This court dated back to Anglo-Saxon times,
and usually met twice a year at Easter and Michaelmas. The court was
generally presided over by the county's earl, bishop or abbott. Later
the county sheriff assumed this function. The court only heard
non-criminal matters.

(4) Chancery Court -- the medieval court set up to hear cases against the
king's officers, or for which no standard remedy or precedence existed. This
court also heard appeals from decisions of the
Ecclesiastical Court. The court was presided over by the King's
chancellor, and tended to follow a very informal
procedure.

(5) Chivalry Court -- the court set up to hear heraldric disputes

(6) Common Pleas Court -- the central British Court set up to hear
disputes between individuals, and not involving the King

(7) Ecclesiastical (Church) Court -- the system of courts set up to
enforce Canon (Church) Law. Deacons were trained to serve as judges,
with advocates pleading cases, and proctors
preparing the cases. Summoners served process serveers. The church had
jurisdiction over family matters, sexual offenses, marriage, divorce, bastardy,
and breach of faith. In case of conflict, the king's law prevailed.

(8) Exchequer Court -- the central
British court hearing disputes centering around debts or revenue owed to the
King

(9) Hundred Court -- dating from Anglo-Saxon times, this court hears minor
offenses in a Hundred, and was presided
over by the hundred's bailiff

(11) King's Bench -- the central British court which hears disputes
between individuals and the King. All criminal offenses are heard in
this court.

(12) Manorial (Baron's) Court -- each manor
had its own court to regulate agricultural affairs, labor disputes, and other
petty offenses on the manor. The court was presided over by the lord's
steward. The judgment of the manorial court was called
dooms.

(13) Pie Poudre Court -- a court held at a fair to resolve disputes
between merchants

(14) View of Frankpledge Court -- court held twice yearly at Easter and
Michaelmas by the sheriff of a hundred to hear issues about tithing,
bread/beer assizes, frankpledge, and
other breaches of local custom

(15) Ward-Moots Court -- a court of a
ward, usually presided over by an
alderman, to settle minor offenses

in colonial usage it is most often meant nephew or niece. In the broadest
sense, it could also mean any familial relationship, blood or otherwise
(except mother, father, sister, brother), or the modern-day meaning of a child
of one's aunt or uncle. Modern usage includes qualifiers such as first,
second, third and once removed, twice removed, etc. First cousins are what
most people commonly call their aunt's and uncle's children. Second cousins
are children of the first cousins, and so forth. A (____) cousin once removed
represents the relationship between cousins where they are separated by a
single generation; twice removed by two generations. See simplified further
explanation in cousins.html.

COUSINS GERMAN

equivalent to first cousins once removed

COVERTURE

the inclusion of a woman in the legal person of her husband upon marriage
under common law. Typically, upon marriage, all of a woman's property
became the property of the husband; however, a marriage settlement could
pre-determine future ownership of a woman's property and allowing her to keep
and control her personal property and wealth in her own right after becoming
married. Frequently, the property was put in the hands of trustees
to ensure that the property was disposed in accordance with the terms of the
settlement.

COW-COMMON

a community pasture; land common to all for grazing animals

CRACH

[Welsh scabs]

CRANNOCK

a measure equal to a Bristol barrel

CRANNOG

[Irish] a dwelling on an island

CRAS

[Welsh harsh-voiced]

CRENELLATE

To furnish a dwelling with crenelles or indentations for the garrison to fire through

CREOLE

1. a person of European descent (French or Spanish) born in Louisiana.
2. A black born in the western hemisphere, rather than Africa.

CREST

[Heraldry]a specific part of a full achievement of arms being the
three-dimensional object placed on top of the helm.

CROFT

a small piece of arable land, usually an enclosed area adjacent to a house

CROSSROADS MARRIAGE

one in which the marriage was held at a crossroads after the sun had set
with the bride wearing only her shift. This was done to show she had no debts
to bring to the marriage.

CRUSILLY

[Heraldric] a series of small crosses

CRYG

[Welsh hoarse, stammering]

CRYING SALE

an early Colonial American name for an auction, since the seller of the
goods cried out

CUBIT

a unit of length equal to approximately 18 inches

CUI

[Latin of whom, of whose, of whatever person, of what
place/country]

CUL

[Welsh narrow, thin]

CULDEE

[Scottish] a hermit

CUM ONERE

[Latin] subject to a lien or obligation of which the buyer is aware of

CUM TESTAMENT ANNEXO

[Latin, with the will annexed] an administration of an estate
where the will was made where either the executor
was not named, did not qualify, or refused to serve.

CUPA

a large vat or pipe

CURIA

[Latin] the royal council and court

CUROPALATES

a Byzantine title introduced in the 6th century by Justinian, ranking just
below cæsar
and nobilissimus, used to honor a
member of the imperial family

CURRENT MONEY

"Current Money" found in Colonial Virginia records is reference to a
deferential between Virginia Sterling and the amount of English Sterling it
would buy on the London Exchange.

CURTESY

the life tenure which by common law is held by a man over the property of
his deceased wife if children with rights of inheritance were born during the
marriage